Wind wheel



Jan. 4, `1949. l M. A. REINMANN 2,453,419

WIND WHEEL FiledJani 5, 1944 Tigri l t l 111111111114 r a '1111111111111 r IN VEN TOR.

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' ATToRNEYs Patented Jan. 4, A1949 UNITED STATES. @PAieNroFFiCE Application January 5, 1944, Serial No. 517,037

In Palestine February 4,191.13.. l

be at any time perpendicular to the direction of the wind. Each single sail is inclined relativezto `the plane of rotation. Two main factors have to be taken into account in the construction of such wheels: The ratio uw of the speed of rotation u of the wheel to the Windfvelocity v, and the ratio baz of the width b of a single sail to the distance a between two neighbouring sails. The values of b, e and u are measuredat the circumference of the wheel, z being the apparent distance-between the sails as projected into and measured in the plane of rotation. (In the equations below; these values are assumed to be expressed in meters and meters per second respectively; or centimeters and centimeters per second.) It is known in practice that with usual windwheels,"both these factors are interdependent in such away that in order to increase the rotating speed ofthe-wheel with a given wind velocity,that is, to'incr'eas'e the value of the ratio uz'v, theyalue'ofz' haste be made large which is `done by providing v'in the 'f wheel a small number n of sails, thatis', a small total sail surface F. Conversely;r with a large total sail surface F, a smaller Value of the ratio uw is obtained. Known low-speed kwind-wheels (designed for a ratio u:v`=abou"t1v to 1.5) consist of a great number of narrowlsails, or of a smaller number ofbroad sails, with small dis.

tances e between them, that is,l the magnitude of the ratio bz2 is relativelyglfeat. Onthe other hand, high-speed wind-wheels (designed for' a ratio u:v=about 6) are made with 3` or 4 narrow sails and correspondingly large distances between them. Between these extremes, about every intermediate type has been built. Now, it is equally known that the eiciency of wind wheels isy the greater, the higher their running speed while,

` on the other hand, their eci'ency in utilizing a given wind power drops as the ltotal sail surface is decreased. Thus, an increase of efficiency due to higher running speed is -counterbalanced f by a loss of eniciency due to the diminution lof the total-sail surface so that with the ratio Vuit' being comprised between about 1 and 6, as explained above, which are so far the practical limi tsthe al1-round eiiciency of the 'ii/'heel` varies hardly.

2 Claims. (c1. 'igt-540i" to wind wheels by means l thrown back in Ithas rnow been `found that it is not.v necessaryfto limitthe total sail surface for obtaining a higher running-speed if the wind is so guided tol the sailsv that` after impinging thereon 'it is not deected laterally but can leavethe wheel only thereby .that part of it passes between the sails in the impinging direction and the rest' is ,a diametrically opposite direction. U.'

Accordingly,l this inventionuconsists in the 'arranvgement, at eitherfside' of thewind'iwheel at a small distance vth'erefrom.substantially cogextensive therewith ,andr in a' planey Ap2`nfa1lelftothe plane ,of rotation, of stationary wheels Aco-a'Xial with the Awind` wheel, said' stationary` wheels: havf ing pairs of aligned straight radial vanes or spokes with such, distances between them that the clearances are of a width equal lto or smaller than that of thesails Yof the windwheel, all of them measured at the same distance fromthecentre of both wheels, and being contained ina common cylindrical casing co-aXial with the wheels andclosely surroundingfthem. i f

1 Without going into details of the theorygthat is at the base of this invention one may assume that theeifect of the stationary'wheels accord-'- ing to this 'invention is to prevent the air from being deected laterally 'after impinging onjth'e sail, which de ection would influence thestream of incoming fresh' air and result in .anjundefsred change of theimpinging angle' thereof. l Owing te the provision ofthe stationary wheels accordi ingito this invention, the windcannotl bedeec'ted andacts von the rotating. wheel perpendicularly to vthe plane of rotation. y"lilxperi'rrie'nts have shown that. the best results are "obtained with values of e comprised between 1lb.cos a and L89-b.cos a i'k ll, lL y i wherein a is theangle of 'inclination offthe sails relative to the plane vofl rotation'.` It `has been found to be advantageous if ais not-Smaller than h., This ,formula holds good lin the case Yof the `arrangement of Va stationary'wheel in front of the wind wheel, and of a similar stationarywheel jtherebehind, in accordance With'th'isv invention, `andexpresses thatA the distances betweengeach 4twcsails can be made the smaller :(that is, the 'total s ail surface'the greater), thegrea'ter the 'proposed running speed u ofthe wheel, 'and this within theA limits given `by thefabove'formulas. This is justthevcontrary of fthe Lexperience made heretofore with wind wheels lacking the stationary "wheels according tothe Yir'ivention,V as has been explained'abovelV tion of z which can be made still smaller than,

corresponds to the formula given hereinbefore,

and can be chosen in accordance with the equa.-

Moreover, the efdciency would theoretically be highest if the value of z-l-h were constant overA the whole length of the vanes. Now, since z decreases towards the centre,v h, should increase accordingly, which will result in a trapezoidal shape of the vanes of the stationary wheels. While the necessity of diminishing the total sail surface in proportion to the proposed increase of the running speedof the wind-wheel had made it hitherto impossible to give the ratio uw a' value greater than ,6, far higher values of this ratio can now be employed with well increased eiciency.

It is known, however, that high-speed windwheels reach their full intended speed only very gradually, if at all. Therefore, it maybe advisable to arrange an auxiliary lstarting motor drive which brings thewindwheel under x10-load up tothe desired speed whereafter the auxiliary drive is disconnected and the wind-wheelis connected tothe dynamo, pump or other machine. Ar-

rangements may also be made for the windwheel Ato be disconnected automaticallyfrom said machine ,and to 4be connected to the starting inoi tor in case its speeddrops below a 4predetermined value.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a part `sectional sideelevation of a wind wheel with stationary wheels at its front and rear sides;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation corresponding to Fig. 1.

`3 is a section along line III--IIL Fig. 2, turned by 90.

'I'he wind wheel proper consists of radial sails I mounted on a hub 2 which is keyed on a horizontal shaft3. This shaft drives a Vertical shaft 4 by means of fa bevel gear ,5, 5'. Conversely, where an auxiliary starting motor is provided, as explained above, this may act on the wind wheel via shafts 4 and 3.

In front of `the -wind wheel and concentrically therewith,a stationary wheel is located. It comprisesa wheel 8 with hub 9 through which latter the shaft 3 Aof the windwheel passes, and an outer casing I U. Between the wheel 8 and the said casingy and fixed to both, there extend ra dial vanes or spokes 6.

The width of the clearances between these is smallerthan the width of sails I (see Fig..2). A similar wheelfcomprising vanes or spokes 1, an inner wheel VII and-a hub I2, is arranged at the rear side of the wind wheel within the same casing Ill. Vanes 1 register with vanes-s6 so that 'a system of cells-is formed in frontand behind the wind wheel. Casingy I 0 is xed to the wind wheel tower (not shown) by means of brae bals. .31

neighboring vanes vof the projection of any one of said I claim:

1. In a Wind motor in combination: a wheel rotatable in a vertical plane which can be turned so as to be perpendicular to the wind, said wheel having a plurality of substantially sector-shaped sails fixed to a common hub mounted on a horizontal shaft, with clearance between the projections of said sails on the plane of rotation; a stationary cylindrical casing closely surrounding said `wheel and being co-axial therewith; a plurality of pairs of aligned straight radial vanes extending inwards from said casing normal to the plane of rotation of the wheel at both sides of said wheel, the inner ends of said vanes being secured to twosleeves surrounding said shaft at either side of the wheel, the distance between said vanes in axial direction substantially corresponding to the depth of the path covered by said wheel while the distances between any two neighboring vanesy are not larger than the width of the projection of any one of said sails on the plane `of rotation, vmeasured at equal distances from the axis, thel spaces between each two neighboring pairs of aligned-vanes thus for-ming avplurality of straight air channels o f uniform cross-sectional area, and the vsails of the wheel being so positioned relative to the plane of rotation as to be adapted substantially to shut off said air channels individually, intermittently and simultaneously as the wheel rotates.

2. In a wind motor in combination: a wheel rotatable in a vertical plane which can be turned so as to be perpendicular to the wind, said wheel yhaving a plurality of substantially sector-shaped sails xed to a common Ahub mounted on a horizontal shaft, said sails being so spaced from one another that in their projection on the plane of rotation the clearances between neighboring sails are-not narrower than the sails measured at equal distances yfrom the axis of said wheel; a stationary cylindrical casing closely surrounding said wheel and being co-axial therewith; a plurality of pairs of aligned straight radial vanes extending inwards from said casing normal to the plane of yrotation of the wheel at both sides of said wheel, the inner ends of said vanes being secured to two sleeves surrounding said shaft at either sideof the wheel, the distance between -said vanes in axial direction substantially corresponding to the depth of the path covered by said wheel, while the distances between any two are not larger than the width sails on the measured at equal distances from the axis, the spaces between each two neighboring pairs of aligned vanes thus forming a plurality of straight air channels of uniform crosssectional area, and the sails of the wheel being so positioned relative to the plane of rotation as to beadapted substantially to shut off said air lchannels individually, intermittently and simultaneously as the wheel rotates.

MOSES. ABRAHAM REINMANN.

plane ,of rotation,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

